Novak Djokovic Gets Tricky Draw at Wimbledon 2026

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Novak Djokovic Gets Tricky Draw at Wimbledon 2026

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Jun 26, 2026 9:38 AM ET

Early Friday morning, the draw was announced for the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. Players, fans, and media quickly poured over the brackets to chart different paths to the final at the All England Club. As always, most of the attention was focused on the seventh-seeded Novak Djokovic.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is running out of opportunities for another Major title, and this year's Wimbledon might be his last good chance. Djokovic's path to the final is not brutal, but he did land on the same side of the draw as Jannik Sinner. Below is a round-by-round breakdown for Djokovic.

Round 1

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In the first round, Djokovic will face Wu Yibing. The ATP World No. 99 was once ranked as high as No. 54 in 2023. He is 6-7 on the year, and has never faced Djokovic on the ATP Tour level.

Round 2

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If Djokovic wins his first match, he would face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Hugo Gaston in the second round. Djokovic is 12-2 against Tsitsipas and has never faced Gaston on the tour level before.

Round 3

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Potential third-round matches for Djokovic include 25-seed Arthur Rinderknech, Marco Trungelliti, or Martin Damm. Interestingly, Djokovic has never faced any of those three players before on the tour level.

Round 4

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If Djokovic makes it to the fourth round, his potential matchups get much more challenging. He could face 12-seed Andrey Rublev, 24-seed Joao Fonseca, Botic van de Zandschulp, or Rinky Hijikata. Djokovic is 5-1 against Rublev, 0-1 against Fonseca, 2-1 against van de Zandschulp, and 2-0 against Hijikata.

Quarterfinal

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Potential quarterfinal matchups for Djokovic include 3-seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, 16-seed Learner Tien, 22-seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, or 26-seed Cameron Norrie. Djokovic is 1-1 against Auger-Aliassime, 1-0 against Tien, 5-1 against Davidovich Fokina, and 7-0 against Norrie.

Semifinal

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Without a doubt, Djokovic's biggest hurdle awaits him in the semifinals. He could face top-ranked Jannik Sinner, 8-seed Daniil Medvedev, 11-seed Casper Ruud, 21-seed Tommy Paul, or 23-seed Rafael Jodar. While far from certain, another meeting with Sinner seems most likely for Djokovic. He is 5-6 against Sinner, having beaten the Italian superstar at this year's Australian Open and losing to him at last year's Wimbledon.

Final

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If Djokovic can make it all the way to the final, the other side of the draw would offer 2-seed Alexander Zverev, 4-seed Ben Shelton, 5-seed Alex de Minaur, or 6-seed Taylor Fritz. Djokovic is 9-5 against Zverev, 1-0 against Shelton, 3-1 against de Minaur, and 11-0 against Fritz.

The 2026 Wimbledon Championships run from June 29 through July 12.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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